Can-soldering machine.



No. 797,952. PATENTBI) AUG.22,1905.

T. GRAHAM. CAN SOLDERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY B. 1905.

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N0.797,952. S PATENTED AUG. 22, 1905. T. GRAHAM.

GAN SOLDERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OAN-SOLDERING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1905.

Application filed May 8, 1905. Serial No- 259,303.

To all whom it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, THoMAs GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-SolderingMachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin.the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification;

This invention relates to that class of soldering-machines which areparticularly designed for soldering the ends of tin cans in place, andmore especially for small jobs or numbers of such cans where it is notfeasible to maintain an apparatus for the process known as floating orfor special cans which a floater cannot take care of.

The objects of the present improvements are to' provide such asoldering-machine in which the tin can will be supported upon wheelsadapted to be rotated, to rotate the supporting-wheels at one side ofthe can slowly to give motion to the can and those at the other side ofthe can more rapidly, so as to be turning at a different rate of speedfrom the can and frictionally engaging the same, to so regulate the saidrates of speed of the'supporting-wheels that only the more rapidlyturning ones shall be depended upon to supply solder to the can, to thussupply the solder to the can with an action similar to that of a handsoldering-iron because of the rubbing relation of the said wheels to thecan, to secure a simple and efficient construction, and to obtain otheradvantages and results, some of which may be hereinafter referred to inconnection with the description of the working parts.

I The invention consists in the improved soldering-machine and in thearrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially aswill be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses ofthe claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals ofreference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures,Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is across-section taken upon line 03, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsection upon line 3 Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section similar tothat shown in Fig. 3, illusone end of the can is to be soldered; andFig.

5 shows a still further modification in which the machine is adjustableto different sizes or lengths of cans.

In said drawings, 2 indicates a tank of any suitable constructionadapted to contain solder, said solder being maintained in liquidcondition by means of burners 3 3 or any other suitable source of heatarranged beneath said tank. At the upper part of two of the oppositeside walls of said tank 2 are journaled transverse shafts 4 and 5,respectively, which shafts are substantially parallel. The ends of saidshafts project beyond the outside of the tank and are journaled inbrackets 6 of any suitable construction adapted to project up from thefloor or bench. One of said shafts, as 5, is provided with adriving-pulley 7 and a belt 8, extending over pulleys 9 10 on the twoshafts, enables movement to be transmitted to both of them. Obviouslyany other suitable and well-known driving means could be employed, ifdesired.

Upon each of the shafts 4 and 5 are mounted fixed wheels 11 and 12,respectively, lying within the tank 2, and upon the peripheries of whichwheels the can 13 to be soldered is adapted to rest at its end edgeswhere the soldering is to be done. Peripheral flanges 14 or 15 upon thesaid wheels engage the ends of the can to prevent its longitudinaldisplacement, and, furthermore, guide rods or rails 16 are adapted-toextend from one side of the tank to the other adjacent to the oppositeends of the can to further hold it in position upon the wheels 11 12.

It will be understood that the wheels 11 12 are more or less submergedin the liquid solder, which is indicated by reference-numeral 17 in Fig.2, and therefore as the machine is operated and the sets of wheels atthe opposite sides of the can are driven at different speeds, as abovedescribed, the wheels 11, which turn more slowly, impart a rotary motionto the can and turn too slowly to sufliciently supply solder to saidcan. The other wheels 12, however, rotate with sufficient,

speed to centrifugally supply solder to the seams of the can, and at thesame time turn .sufiiciently faster than the can to rub upon the same,thus closely simulating the action of a hand soldering-iron. The seamsof the can are thus rapidly and effectively soldered.

When it is desired to solder only one end of the can, the arrangementshown in Fig. 4

may be employed, where 20 indicates a soldertank having wheels 21 forone end of the can 22, located in said tank, and wheels 23 for the otherend of thecan, located outside of said tank. By this construction oneend of the can can be soldered without affecting the other end.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a construction which is adjustable to cans ofdifferent lengths, and for this purpose two tanks 30 and 31 areemployed, a set of Wheels 32 for one end of the can being arranged inone tank and a set 33 for the other end being arranged in the othertank. each made in sections 34 35 to telescopically connect to eachother between the two tanks, as by the reduced end 36, of oneshaft-section entering the socketed end 37 of the other and having aslot-and-pin connection to insure said sections turning in unison. If,therefore, a difierent length of can is desired to be soldered, thewheels for the ends of the can are slid apart to accommodate said canbetween I themselves.

My improved soldering-machine is especially advantageous for small lotsof cans Where it would not be practicable to maintain a floater, and,furthermore, in soldering such cans as cannot be done at all by afloater-as, for instance, cans with fancy ends or tapered cans.In'soldering tapered cans obviously the wheels at the opposite ends ofthe can may be of different sizes to properly support the can.

' Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. In asoldering-machine, the combination with a tank adapted to contain liquidsolder, of shafts, wheels upon said shafts adapted to engage the sidesof a can, and means for rotating said shafts at diflerent speeds.

2. In a soldering-machine, the combination with a tank adapted tocontain liquid solder, of wheels arranged in said tank and adapted toengage at different points the periphery of a can, and means forrotating said wheels at difierent speeds. 1

3. In a soldering-machine, the combination of opposite wheels adapted tosupport between themselves a can, a solder-tank in which one of saidwheels is placed, and means for rotating said wheelsat different speeds.

4. In a soldering-machine, the combination of a solder-tank, oppositewheels adapted to The shafts of said wheels are then.

support a can between themselves, one of said wheels being located insaid solder-tank, and means for rotating said wheels and turning saidone in the solder-tank more rapidly than the others.

5. In a can-soldering machine, the combination with a solder-tank, of awheel in said tank, and means adapted to hold a can in engagement withsaid wheel and rotate the same upon an axis parallel to the axis of thewheel but at a different speed.

6. In a solderingqnachine, the combination with opposite Wheels adaptedto support between themselves a can, means for rotating said wheels atdifferent speeds, a solderingtank in which the more rapidly turningwheel is submerged, and means for holding a can in position upon saidwheels.

7. In a soldering-machine, the combination with a tank adapted tocontain liquid solder,

of wheels adapted to support between them- I of independent tanksadapted to contain liquid solder; shafts extending through said tanksand being in sections which are longitudinally adjustable upon eachother between said tanks, wheels upon the said shafts in the said tanksadapted to engage and support a can, and means for rotating said shafts.

9. In a soldering-machine, the combination of independent tanks adaptedto contain liquid solder, shafts extending through said tanks and beingin sections which are longitudinally adjustable upon each other betweenthe said tanks, wheels upon' said shafts in the said tanks adapted toengage and support a can, and means for rotating said shafts atdifferent speeds.

10. In a can-soldering machine, the combination with a solder-tank, of awheel in said tank, and means adapted to hold a can in engagement withsaidwheel and rotate the same upon an axis parallel to the axis of thewheel but at a slower speed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this17th day of April, 1905.

THOMAS GRAHAM.

Witnesses:

RUssELL M. EVERETT, M. V. DOYLE.

